The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has commenced the sale of registration forms for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) across the country.
The Board announced that registration officially begins on Monday, January 26, 2026, assuring candidates of a seamless process at all approved registration centres nationwide.
JAMB advised prospective candidates to register only at accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres, Professional Registration Centres and JAMB offices to avoid falling victim to fraud.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting, the Registrar of the Board, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, urged candidates with discrepancies in their biodata—such as names or dates of birth—to visit the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) for correction before commencing registration.
He stressed that JAMB would not alter candidates’ personal data, explaining that all records would be generated strictly from NIMC databases.
According to the Registrar, UTME registration, including for candidates in foreign countries, will run from January 26 to February 28, 2026.
He added that e-PIN vending for UTME candidates began on January 19 and will close on February 26, 2026, while registration will end on February 28.
For Direct Entry (DE) candidates, Prof. Oloyede said the sale of application documents and e-PINs will commence from March 2 to April 25, 2026, noting that DE registration will be conducted exclusively at JAMB zonal and state offices.
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JAMB also released the approved cost of e-PINs for the 2026 examination as follows:
Direct Entry (DE): ₦5,700
UTME without Mock: ₦7,200
UTME with Mock: ₦8,700
A breakdown of the charges includes ₦3,500 for the application fee, ₦1,000 for the reading text, ₦700 CBT registration service charge, ₦1,500 CBT UTME service charge, ₦500 bank charge, and ₦1,500 mock examination fee where applicable.
The Board announced that the optional Mock UTME will hold on Saturday, March 28, 2026, while the main UTME examination is scheduled to run from April 16 to April 25, 2026.
Prof. Oloyede issued a strong warning to CBT centres against extortion, overcharging and other unethical practices, stressing that any centre found culpable would face sanctions, including licence withdrawal and prosecution.
He also cautioned CBT proprietors against employing untrustworthy ad-hoc staff, noting that centre owners would be held accountable for any infractions committed by their personnel.
The Registrar further unveiled a new compliance policy tagged “No Vision, No Registration, No UTME,” explaining that all registration activities would be monitored live from JAMB headquarters in Abuja.
He said centres whose activities cannot be viewed remotely would not be paid and risk having their registration invalidated.
According to him, only Microsoft or Digitech live cameras are approved for capturing candidates’ second images during registration, while all centres must migrate to HIKVision CCTV systems with a minimum of 16-channel coverage.
Wireless CCTV systems have been banned, and cameras must cover examination halls, verification areas, walkways, holding rooms, server rooms, and entry and exit points.
Prof. Oloyede warned that centres that fail to comply will face sanctions, adding that JAMB will not bear the cost of CCTV reconfiguration.
He recalled that centres and individuals previously involved in examination malpractice have been delisted and are currently facing prosecution, stressing that the Board would not hesitate to sanction anyone found engaging in misconduct during the 2026 UTME exercise.
